New electric bikes from Giant

[Admin]

A few people have been emailing me about the Full-E+ line from Giant (which currently includes the 0 and 1). These electric mountain bikes use the SyncDrive central motor powered by Yamaha and look very cool. Ravi was the first to share about them and included the attached video. I may be able to share a bit more here in the following days so I'm going to leave this open for discussion.

• Giant Full-E+ 0
• Giant Full-E+ 1

 

[Brambor]

that's cool, althought it would have been funnier if he got clotheslined by the garage gate on the way out but went out nevertheless, had a good time and came back with a brown belt from the mud. ;-)

 

[Chris Nolte]

Seems pretty legit. Definitely a big step up from Giant's earlier underpowered offerings, I'm excited about the new Yamaha system although it seems to be a direct copy of the Bosch. They seem to be getting more torque if their numbers are realistic, Yamaha lists 80Nm Peak Torque where Bosch lists 60Nm. They seem to be starting strong in the ebike space, but I'd just be cautious as they're still new to the game. We won't see this on these shores for another year or so at least though most likely. It's good to see support from big brands like this though, I think it's an indication of where the market is going.

 

[Justin McLeod]

Seems pretty legit. Definitely a big step up from Giant's earlier underpowered offerings, I'm excited about the new Yamaha system although it seems to be a direct copy of the Bosch. They seem to be getting more torque if their numbers are realistic, Yamaha lists 80Nm Peak Torque where Bosch lists 60Nm. They seem to be starting strong in the ebike space, but I'd just be cautious as they're still new to the game. We won't see this on these shores for another year or so at least though most likely. It's good to see support from big brands like this though, I think it's an indication of where the market is going.

Chris...whats ur shops phone number? I have a question for you.

Thx
Justin

 

[Admin]

Hey Justin, you can reach Chris through his site which has email and I've added his phone below for Long Island Electric Bikes

• Site: http://longislandelectricbikes.com/
• Phone: (631) 306-4542

 

[Carbontracking]

I recently bought the Giant Prime E+ which uses the same motor as the bike above. One issue I have with it is the resistance felt when pedalling without the motor running. Very noticeable to my mind and limits the bike to electric-assist only mode, I.e. No joy in extending a ride, or sparing the battery, unless you like the feeling of cycling with what feels like the brakes half pulled.

Any ideas if this is "normal" for this drive system or it my motor needs some tuning to get rid or reduce the resistance ?
Otherwise, it's a great bike.

 

[nick]

I Own a 2013 giant roam xr ebike, which is rear wheel hub motor different setup, yes when the motor is off it is like peddling thorough thick thick deep mud, once up to a pace, seems ok, but hard work, when the motor is switched on, goes really well, I have also wondered if all e bikes are the same being heavy etc when the motor is off, they ride slow? Or does this only apply to ebikes with bigger motors perhaps, more resistance from the motors that are still linked/connected, but not on.

Someone please shed some more light on this please.

 

[JoePah]

I recently bought the Giant Prime E+ which uses the same motor as the bike above. One issue I have with it is the resistance felt when pedalling without the motor running. Very noticeable to my mind and limits the bike to electric-assist only mode, I.e. No joy in extending a ride, or sparing the battery, unless you like the feeling of cycling with what feels like the brakes half pulled.

Any ideas if this is "normal" for this drive system or it my motor needs some tuning to get rid or reduce the resistance ?
Otherwise, it's a great bike.

I never thought about the peddling only aspect with a mid drive.. interesting, and might push me away from that design.

I have a BMC geared hub motor and a Stromer rear DD motor on my e bikes.

The BMC hub is very close to a regular bike for peddle only... at least at low speeds 15 mph on my mountain bike.

The stromer hub isn't as bad as I though it would be.. Last weekend I had a ride further than my range and forgot my charger... So instead of running out of battery at the end of my ride when I was tired, I peddled in the middle of the ride for about 5 miles... Averaged around 13 mph and it wasn't killing me to do so.. Not fast but not terrible. Peddling a 65 lb bike was the real issue..lol

 

[Chris Nolte]

I Own a 2013 giant roam xr ebike, which is rear wheel hub motor different setup, yes when the motor is off it is like peddling thorough thick thick deep mud, once up to a pace, seems ok, but hard work, when the motor is switched on, goes really well, I have also wondered if all e bikes are the same being heavy etc when the motor is off, they ride slow? Or does this only apply to ebikes with bigger motors perhaps, more resistance from the motors that are still linked/connected, but not on.

Someone please shed some more light on this please.

I believe you have the GoSwiss motor on that bike. The same as the Specialized Turbo, you really shouldn't feel much resistance at all. Make sure you adjust what gear your in as it will feel significantly different when the motor is off, otherwise you might want to get the bike checked out while it's still presumably under warranty.

 

[Matt Hughes]

EMPowered Cycles took a Giant DS full suspension and installed the 8fun bafang bbso2 mid drive motor kit with an 11.6 Ah down tube battery.
More power, more range, less $. Don't have to pedal to wheelie. Top speed 30+ mph.
More info here:
http://www.empoweredcycles.com/collecti ... c-bike-kit
EMPowered
1 mW

Posts: 10
Joined: Fri May 30, 2014 3:41 pm

 

[Shea N Encinitas]

Dang that is some nice single track! Gotta get something like that, and practice my wheelies too.

Ebikes are heavy, 50 lbs or more is common. Is it any surprise that they are not easy to pedal without juice? A 3lb difference can be felt on a road bike, especially climbing, so a 47 lb difference is pretty extreme. I tell folks I meet out riding that the first two levels of assist basically make up for the extra weight and provide a slight advantage on hills and headwinds. The last two levels is where it gets fun and limits range of course. -S

 

[Matt Hughes]

Yes, weight is a concern for some, but it is the direct drive hub motors that are extremely difficult to pedal without power.
Direct drive hub motors essentially act as a generator when they are not acting as a motor with battery power. The newer crank drive motors are much easier to pedal under human power and have virtually no drag at all, yes you still have the weight of the motor and battery to lug around if you have to pedal home if the battery died, but it makes biking so much fun. Electric bikes are so awesome, especially if you live in an area with a lot of hills. I just could not ride a standard bike to commute back and forth to work until e-bikes came along, now hills are nothing and the bike has changed from exercise only to a viable mode of transportation.

 

[Shea N Encinitas]

I'll say it again, cogging is infinitesimal compared to weight. Is it hard to rotate the wheel by hand? Sure it slows down after a few revolutions but I bet you it is less than a newton meter of resistance. If our motors were efficient generators regen would be more than a trickle. I think people get used to the feeling of being powered to the point that when there is no power they think OMG, those magnets are really holding me back, NOT. Ride your bike with no battery or power, then register that in your muscle memory, you'll see. -S

 

[JoePah]

Yeah the DD hub motors don't have any resistance other than weight, which is around 10 lbs... You can get home in a pinch if the battery dies, and the system is turned to OFF... Haven't tried riding a dead Ebike home up a hill but I imagine it could be tough.. On the flats I've taken both my A2B Metro and STromer for long pedal drives home, and it was a slow one!

 

[MLB]

Yeah the DD hub motors don't have any resistance other than weight, which is around 10 lbs... You can get home in a pinch if the battery dies, and the system is turned to OFF... Haven't tried riding a dead Ebike home up a hill but I imagine it could be tough.. On the flats I've taken both my A2B Metro and STromer for long pedal drives home, and it was a slow one!

And another 10 for the battery.